A Rustic Northern Michigan Wedding at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa

Sara Westgate & Zachary Werner

June 17, 2011

Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa, Thompsonville

Northern Michigan Wedding: An ideal setting, memorable personal touches, and a loving family helped make Sara and Zachary’s wedding day an extraordinary event. Sara and Zachary, both outdoor enthusiasts, grew up visiting Northern Michigan and now live in Scottsdale, Arizona. For the adventurous duo, hosting their special day at Crystal Mountain Resort was the perfect blend of rustic, comfort, and classic.

The ceremony took place at Michigan Legacy Art Park Amphitheater, located at Crystal Mountain, underneath a lush canopy of trees. As the ceremony concluded, guests rode the chairlifts up to a 250-foot-high alpine slide, a moment the bride described as priceless. Then down they slid in time for cocktail hour at the resort’s lodge patio.

Sara and Zachary waltzed into their tented reception to Bill Wither’s “Lovely Day.”

The couple adorned tables with fresh flowers from the family’s farm and added other details to establish the wedding’s rustic-theme. The bride’s father, a retired shop teacher, created centerpieces out of cedar boxes planted with herbs, wisps of moss and lavender. Other details included an antique birdcage used as a card box, a cake stand made from a tree stump, and a “guestbook” that was actually a canvas with a tree painted on it—guests added their “leaf” thumbprints to the tree. After the wedding the couple hung their wedding tree painting in their home as a reminder of the special day.

At evening’s end, the 130 guests were given blue spruce seedlings swaddled in hand-sewn burlap bags.